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Lafayette Brunch

This weekend was full of an aggressive progression of meals to prepare for the NYC Half Marathon, making the calories fabulously guiltless. We woke up Saturday morning with the weather we hoped to have for the half (wishful thinking), and the sunny blue skies lured us out of our apartment for an early start. I chose Lafayette for brunch, part of the Andrew Carmellini empire, with a sunny and bright interior to match the mood outside.

Located on a delightful corner in Noho with expansive windows that let the light and openness of the neighborhood flow into the restaurant, Lafayette’s ambiance makes you want to love it at first look. I immediately took note of the pastry bar full of appetizing goodies separate from the sit down restaurant, and committed then and there to a few sweet treats to start off the brunch.

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With that, we were sat, and ordered our lattes and the boulangerie basket, which featured a selection of assorted pastries and bread from the bakery I’d been eyeing, served with Sweet Vermouth butter and confiture maison. We debated our favorite bites over the chocolate and plain croissant, the whole wheat carrot muffin, some variation of an apple cinnamon muffin, and the date and pecan bread; they were all incredible fresh and satisfying.

There were so many appealing dishes on the menu it was difficult to decide, but I ultimately settled on the French ham, Gruyere, and fried egg sandwich (I told you I was in carb-mode!). It was a perfect sized portion of melt-in-your mouth goodness, served on bread saturated in butter and thickly sliced salty ham that forced me to eat every last crumb.

PK went with the smoked salmon Benedict, and he first noted how fresh the smoked salmon was. It was served on a brioche bun with a sauce choron that was overwhelming in flavor but not in portion, which allowed him to really savor the dish. It was served with two pieces of toast on the side, which he used happily to sop up any remaining yolk and sauce.

PK’s mom Julie ordered the lemon pancakes with fresh berries, and when I asked her how to describe her first bite, she said, slighty muffled, “this is a lemony burst of deliciousness!”. It was covered in fresh, sweet berries and sauce that paired perfectly with the lemony pancakes and I kept stealing tastes from her plate.

PK’s dad Phil ordered the Omelette Alsation, after he joked that he’d prefer his brunch dish be dog-less. After a good ten minutes googling Alsation with still no luck deciphering what it meant in regard to an omelette, I gave up. All jokes aside, he thoroughly enjoyed his straightforward dish and cleaned his plate.

We could have sat there all day surveying the A-listers brunching around us, soaking in the rays through the oversized windows, and savoring our quality lattes, and I think we were all sad to see the brunch end.

The Bitches say: A. This brunch spot will meet everything you’re looking for, whether it’s a group brunch, a date, or a place to impress your out-of-town friends. The memorable food and ambiance justifies the steeper prices; just don’t forget to order a pastry.